Online mortgage broker Habito has been cleared by the watchdog after two complaints people complained that an advert it took out in a women’s magazine was offensive.

The advert that appeared in Grazia in November cited YouGov research which found that one in ten couples say that getting a mortgage made their sex lives hell.

The ad was headed “Mortgage Kama Sutra” and stated: “Habito finds you the best deal so you can focus on the fun stuff”.

It featured images suggestive of sexual positions and included text alongside each one, such as “Downpayment Doggy”, “The Standing Variable Rate”, “Prime 69” and “The Base-rate Scissor”.

Two people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, suggesting that the ad was offensive and irresponsible.

Habito responded that the ad was designed as a fun take on mortgages for an adult-only audience. 

The broker said the idea was borne out of a YouGov Panel of 2,000 adults which revealed the negative impact that getting a mortgage can have on the libido of British people. 

It pointed out that the images featured muted colours, minimal detail and the captions carried double meanings which were not immediately apparent at first glance and therefore added subtlety to the content.

The ASA said the advert appeared in a magazine targeted at an adult audience.

It added: “While we acknowledged that some would find the artistic illustrations of sexual positions and accompanying descriptions distasteful, they were not explicit and we considered that most readers were likely to view the ad as a humorous play on the results of the survey.

“Consequently, we concluded that the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence to those who saw it and was not irresponsible.”